Week 3 Snap Counts and a few thoughts

[Chopper0080]

Sorry for not posting last week's, life popped up. these are per Mike Jurecki's Twitter

Week 3 vs San Francisco

Carson Palmer - 73 - 76 - 96.1%
Drew Stanton - 3 - 76 - 3.9%
Matt Barkley - INACTIVE

Andre Ellington - INACTIVE
Chris Johnson - 37 - 76 - 48.7%
David Johnson - 24 - 76 - 31.6%
Stepfan Taylor - 14 - 76 - 18.4%

John Brown - 53 - 76 - 69.7%
Larry Fitzgerald - 65 - 76 - 85.5%
Michael Floyd - 31 - 76 - 40.8%
JJ Nelson - INACTIVE
Jaron Brown - 14 - 76 - 18.4%
Brittan Golden - 1 - 76 - 1.3%

Darren Fells - 63 - 76 - 82.9%
Jernaine Gresham - 51 - 76 - 67.1%
Troy Niklas - 22 - 76 - 28.9%
Joseph Fauria - INACTIVE

Jared Veldheer - 73 - 76 - 96.1%
Ted Larsen - 76 - 76 - 100.0%
Lyle Sendlein - 73 - 76 - 96.1%
Jonathan Cooper - 76 - 76 - 100.0%
Bobby Massie - 73 - 76 - 96.1%
Earl Watford - 3 - 76 - 3.9%
Bradley Sowell - 3 - 76 - 3.9%
DJ HUmphries - INACTIVE
AQ Shipley - 8 - 76 - 10.5%
Mike Iupati - INACTIVE

Calais Campbell - 26 - 51 - 51%
Frostee Rucker - 25 - 51 - 49%
Rodney Gunter - 41 - 51 - 80.4%
Josh Mauro - 11 - 51 - 21.6%
Ed Stinson - 25 - 51 - 49%
Corey Redding - 17 - 51 - 33.3%
Xavier Williams - INACTIVE

Alex Okafor - 34 - 51 - 66.7%
Kevin Minter - 42 - 51 - 82.4%
Lamarr Woodley - 30 - 51 - 58.8%
Markus Golden - 17 - 51 - 33.3%
Kareem Martin - 17 - 51 - 33.3%
Alani Fua - 9 - 51 - 17.6%
Sean Weatherspoon - 9 - 51 - 17.6%
Shaquille Riddick - INACTIVE

Patrick Peterson - 42 - 51 - 82.4%
Jarraud Powers - 50 - 51 - 98%
Tyrann Mathieu - 42 - 51 - 82.4%
Deone Bucannon - 42 - 51 - 82.4%
Rashad Johnson - 42 - 51 - 82.4%
Tony Jefferson - 19 - 51 - 37.3%
Justin Bethel - 12 - 51 - 23.5%
Chris Clemmons - 9 - 51 - 17.6%

1-A lot of base personnel played this game on both offense and defense which is going to skew some numbers. Greshem almost got as many snaps as John Brown and Gunter played 80% of defensive snaps. Jefferson who has played over 75% of defensive snaps in the first two games, only played 37% in this one.

2-Weatherspoon once again played under 30% of defensive snaps. My guess is that the injuries have sapped his quickness, and now coaches see him as a small, slow guy. Unless he starts flashing, I imagine he will not be re-signed.

3-David Johnson got 31% of snaps following 27% vs Chicago. My guess is that he will see between 20 to 30 percent of snaps from here on out.

4-I don't believe we can make a determination on Michael Floyd's usage yet. He was down from 66% of snaps in week 2 to 41% in week 3, but my guess is that it due to game flow more than anything.

5-One thing to watch carefully is Calais Campbell's usage. Week 1 he played 69%, week 2 78% and this week 51%, but what makes that odd is the Cardinals played a ton of base defense. Why this is important to watch is that Campbell has a big contract number and is nearing end of it. The Cardinals let Dan Williams because of usage and philosophy, and while they are different players, premium defensive linemen aren't playing sub 60% of snaps. My guess is that the Cardinals limited his snaps at the end of the 3rd Q, but it is something because his next contract will be an interesting negotiation.

6-Ed Stinson might have worked himself into the 3rd DE category as Redding's snaps have decreased, and Stinson has matched or exceeded Mauro's snaps every game.

7-Regardless of what happens w/ Kevin Minter's future, he can never say that the Cardinals didn't give him a chance. This is the third week in a row that MInter has played over 80% of snaps. His production on those snaps is debateable, but he is getting playing time.

8-Markus Golden has yet to play over 30% of snaps in a game this year. Where this frustrates me is if we were drafting a guy to be a sub package rusher, why draft a guy with limited explosiveness in Golden? I understand the Cardinals like larger base OLBs, but how is Golden different than Martin or Woodley?

 

[Bodha]

I was just thinking to myself after the game I didn't recall seeing Tony Jefferson at all. That's interesting, as hes developed into a defensive stalwart.

I know D line is on rotation, but that's crazy CC only plays 50% of snaps. Isnt that why we didn't pay Dan to come back? Didn't feel like a part timer should be getting paid? Maybe its just 1 game, but CC needs to play a little more than half of all reps at his paycheck.

Weatherspoon must be injured. Guys been a ghost. What a shame.

 

[jbeecham]

I'm sure the blowout win had a lot to do with CC's limited snaps.

I don't know what to say about Weatherspoon... it's disappointing that he hasn't made more of an impact. We have been playing with 6-7 DBs a lot though & still holding up against the run.

I had no idea that Floyd, Jaron Brown & Niklas played as much as they did.

 

[Garthshort]

I agree with jbeecham.

 

[kerouac9]

Thanks for doing these.

I think we'll have a pivot on Weatherspoon sometime around the bye week. Clearly he had more rust than the Cards expected when they gave him a $3.85M contract (!!!!!!!) — WTF happened there?! Weatherspoon is probably still learning the defense, play calls, and his teammates. If he can't seize the opportunity to take Kevin Minter's job, that pretty much defines him as a below-average player.

Minter's been steady, but hasn't done anything to make me think that he's irreplaceable or can't be upgraded. I compared him to Rashard Johnson early in the safety's career on another thread.

I don't know why you're so quick to want to move on from Calais Campbell. #93 is a two-time team captain, and he'll be 31 at the end of his current contract. I don't think we'll move on from him and his $15M salary after this year — and I don't think you do, either. I don't think he's worth $15M a season at age 31, though, either.

Wanna know who's still on the books for 2017? Daryl Washington at $7.5M. So dumb.

 

[Chopper0080]

I'm sure the blowout win had a lot to do with CC's limited snaps.

I don't know what to say about Weatherspoon... it's disappointing that he hasn't made more of an impact. We have been playing with 6-7 DBs a lot though & still holding up against the run.

I had no idea that Floyd, Jaron Brown & Niklas played as much as they did.

Yeah I don't remember seeing him near the end of the third quarter which may have adjusted his numbers. My hope is that it is due to game flow as Campbell is supposed to be a big piece of our defense and there there isn't anyone else on the roster who can do what he can do.

 

[Chopper0080]

Thanks for doing these.

I think we'll have a pivot on Weatherspoon sometime around the bye week. Clearly he had more rust than the Cards expected when they gave him a $3.85M contract (!!!!!!!) — WTF happened there?! Weatherspoon is probably still learning the defense, play calls, and his teammates. If he can't seize the opportunity to take Kevin Minter's job, that pretty much defines him as a below-average player.

Minter's been steady, but hasn't done anything to make me think that he's irreplaceable or can't be upgraded. I compared him to Rashard Johnson early in the safety's career on another thread.

I don't know why you're so quick to want to move on from Calais Campbell. #93 is a two-time team captain, and he'll be 31 at the end of his current contract. I don't think we'll move on from him and his $15M salary after this year — and I don't think you do, either. I don't think he's worth $15M a season at age 31, though, either.

Wanna know who's still on the books for 2017? Daryl Washington at $7.5M. So dumb.

I think this was a game where the Cards moved Campbell out of the rotation early, so my guess is it is much ado about nothing. That being said, it is something that requires further looking into. My hope is the Cardinals and him work out some sort or reconfiguration for his deal, because there will be some large contracts to be handed out in the near future. Okafor, Mathieu, and Powers are coming up, and I doubt any of them will get less money.

 

[Capital Card]

Thanks Chopper. I've been waiting for Football Outsiders to post their snap-counts. Week 3 still isn't up.


I think you picked up on just about everything I was going to stay.

We did pull Def starters in the 4th quarter, which explains drop in snaps for Calais and Frostee.

The drop in Jefferson playing time I thought was most surprising trend for week 3. Most of those went to Bethel, who I thought would have had much more playing time up until this point.

I also thought the huge jump for Gunter (from 30% to 80%) was notable. Curious to see if that holds true against the Rams as well.

Other than Gresham and Niklas both getting more playing time, I didn't see anything special about Offense snap counts. Wolfley's been spouting off all week that we'll see much more 3 TE sets this week, which came true. I expect we'll see those same sets next week as well, before changing everything up against the Lions.

Thanks again for posting the snap counts.

Go Cards!!!

 

[82CardsGrad]

5-One thing to watch carefully is Calais Campbell's usage. Week 1 he played 69%, week 2 78% and this week 51%, but what makes that odd is the Cardinals played a ton of base defense. Why this is important to watch is that Campbell has a big contract number and is nearing end of it. The Cardinals let Dan Williams because of usage and philosophy, and while they are different players, premium defensive linemen aren't playing sub 60% of snaps. My guess is that the Cardinals limited his snaps at the end of the 3rd Q, but it is something because his next contract will be an interesting negotiation.

I don't believe CC is going to be going anywhere else anytime soon... He remains a massive force upfront. Both Pick 6's were caused in large part, by the penetration of Calais. He remains a huge disruptive force in the middle of the line of scrimmage.
I have no doubt that because of the score, they gave him a blow in the 2nd half. It's great to see a guy like Frostee continue to perform at a very high level, and guys like Stinson and Gunter show very positive developmental signs.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

I think we'll have a pivot on Weatherspoon sometime around the bye week. Clearly he had more rust than the Cards expected when they gave him a $3.85M contract (!!!!!!!) — WTF happened there?! Weatherspoon is probably still learning the defense, play calls, and his teammates. If he can't seize the opportunity to take Kevin Minter's job, that pretty much defines him as a below-average player.

So weird about Spoon and him not playing many downs. Looked like had some gas left in the tank in the one preseason game, albeit against backups.

Still had some hope for him to be able to give us something more than 15 plays per game

 

[JCSunsfan]

On a team this good, this deep, it is going to be tough for rookies to get pt. It takes a certain amount of courage to play the best player for the position--even if it isn't the rookie that you were high on and would make you look like a genius if he succeeds.

 

[cardncubfan]

I thought Jefferson was hurt earlier in the week. May be why he didn't play much.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Calais Campbell - 26 - 51 - 51%
Frostee Rucker - 25 - 51 - 49%
Rodney Gunter - 41 - 51 - 80.4%
Josh Mauro - 11 - 51 - 21.6%
Ed Stinson - 25 - 51 - 49%
Corey Redding - 17 - 51 - 33.3%
Xavier Williams - INACTIVE

Alex Okafor - 34 - 51 - 66.7%
Kevin Minter - 42 - 51 - 82.4%
Lamarr Woodley - 30 - 51 - 58.8%
Markus Golden - 17 - 51 - 33.3%
Kareem Martin - 17 - 51 - 33.3%
Alani Fua - 9 - 51 - 17.6%
Sean Weatherspoon - 9 - 51 - 17.6%
Shaquille Riddick - INACTIVE

I would have never guessed that these two guys would be leading in snap count by such a large margin.

 

[Capital Card]

I would have never guessed that these two guys would be leading in snap count by such a large margin.

Coaching staff has been raving about Minter all off-season. They seem to be backing up their comments by playing him 80% of D-snaps every week. I figured it was mostly smoke, but it appears I was wrong.

I think Gunter at 80% yesterday has to be the surprise of the week.

Go Cards!!!

 

[Catfish]

Thanks Chopper--------I look forward to these. Concerning CC and his big reduction in playing time this week, I am wondering if this is not BA trying to find a way to make him into more of a beast. We all know that even last year, BA was trying to get Campbell to be more aggressive in getting into the opponent's backfield, and less content with simply occupying space at the line of scrimmage. Could this be yet another attempt by BA to build a fire in Campbell's gut so that he plays with more passion and fire and aggression?

 

[Chopper0080]

I would have never guessed that these two guys would be leading in snap count by such a large margin.

We played most of the game out of our base defense which is not normal. That was a gameplan thing. Minter and Gunter benefited the most form it.

 

[Chopper0080]

I thought Jefferson was hurt earlier in the week. May be why he didn't play much.

His usage was due to our base defense frequency. Nothing to worry about.

 

[Assface]

With next week being one of the most physical games the team will play all season it makes sense to get some key players a bit of rest in a game that was decided early. Plus it's always nice to get some of your younger players as much playing time as possible.

 

[Cardiac]

With next week being one of the most physical games the team will play all season it makes sense to get some key players a bit of rest in a game that was decided early. Plus it's always nice to get some of your younger players as much playing time as possible.

Fully agree.


As many have said thanks for doing these Chopper.

 

[Harry]

Consensus among those I talk with is that Minter is playing very sound defense. He understands his role now and rarely gets caught on play action. Campbell was undoubtedly being rested. They'll play him a ton if the Rams game is close. They've been looking to play Bethel more, this was a good fit. He needs reps in case of injury. Gunter is improving, but still raw. Weatherspoon is still not 100%. The D looked solid; let him heal. Hamstrings have major re-injury issues.

 

[BACH]

Rodney Gunter - 41 - 51 - 80.4%

This actually worries me. This many snaps for a rookie playing so many games for the first time. Xavier need to fill in or Rodney could slow down by the end of the season

 

[Capital Card]

This actually worries me. This many snaps for a rookie playing so many games for the first time. Xavier need to fill in or Rodney could slow down by the end of the season

Meh. In a blow-out win... I'd rather have my second string guys getting lots of snaps to rest/protect my starters.

It's only been the one game thus far, so I doubt it'll be a trend. Think of it more as an NFLPA sanctioned live practice for him.

Go Cards!!!

 

[GuernseyCard]

Weatherspoon, it seems to me, is competing for ILB snaps with Bucannon, not Minter. If he gets up to speed, Bucannon can then be used in a more box safety role with some responsibilities in coverage, and pressure ala Wilson.